From Education to Advocacy: The First Year of the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance

When the Blue Ridge Broadband Alliance (BRBA) launched in July 2025, momentum was not on its side. The previous five years had been a time of immense growth in the broadband and digital opportunity space. The COVID-19 pandemic thrust the digital divide into the spotlight, and stories of students doing homework in fast food parking lots made it clear that something needed to be done. State and federal agencies began prioritizing broadband access and expansion, and in 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, creating several programs to close the digital divide, including the Digital Equity Act (DEA) and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) programs. State and local governments, community organizations, and advocates got to work. North Carolina’s Department of Information Technology conducted a statewide listening tour, collected over 6,000 survey responses, and developed a comprehensive strategy to ensure all residents would have the access and skills they need to fully participate in the digital world. However, in May of 2025, President Trump announced the abrupt cancellation of Digital Equity Act programs, cutting $2.69 billion in funding for promoting safe, effective use of broadband and connected technologies. North Carolina alone lost $45 million. In Western North Carolina, the Land of Sky Regional Council and its partners faced losing a $7 million DEA Competitive Grant. Meanwhile, the new leaders of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration were restructuring the BEAD Program and, on June 6, 2025, announced changes that left communities uncertain about which connectivity investments would materialize and when. For Western North Carolina (WNC), these were not abstract policy issues. Less than a year earlier, Hurricane Helene had torn through the region, damaging more than 1,700 miles of fiber, leaving 75 percent of cell sites without service, and destroying thousands of devices, teaching a shocking lesson about what happens when a community gets disconnected. Just a few months into the recovery process, WNC needed stability and assistance. Instead, it faced policy shakeups and funding losses. In this environment, the BRBA first assembled.